Seirin High Girls' Basketball Club
by MC-kun
Summary: Kiyoshi Teppei can not play in his senior year due to his injuries. One night, Kiyoshi meets three unique girls who want to start their own team, and they ask Kiyoshi to coach them. Kiyoshi agrees thinking coaching would be all fun and games, until he hears about the 'Olympus 5', a group of female basketball prodigies. Does Kiyoshi's new team stand a chance?
1. Girls!

**1**

**Girls?!**

"Kiyoshi Teppei—let's see, 17 years old, 193 cm tall, blood type O—this is you right?"

Kiyoshi nodded, affirming the doctor's words.

"I see—sorry for asking all these obvious questions. There was a mix up earlier so we're kind of disorganized right now."

The doctor noticed Kiyoshi's growing apprehension. "No, no don't worry—I have your X-ray scan right here, see? Don't worry about a thing Kiyoshi-kun!"

"Okay doc. So please tell me. How does it look?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor said, as he carefully scanned Kiyoshi's X-ray scans, "but it seems like your knees aren't completely healed yet. You shouldn't have risked it by playing basketball—"

"Is there any way that we can speed up the process?" Kiyoshi, despite his gentle nature, was getting quite impatient. He'd been waiting for his results since morning, and due to the mix-up, he'd been waiting a total of 5 hours to see his results.

"No, Kiyoshi-kun. It's already a miracle that you lasted this long. Let's not test fate shall we?"

Fate. Kiyoshi didn't like that word. He believed that an individual could control his destiny if he tried hard enough. He didn't become 'Iron Heart' by believing in such a whimsical thing like fate.

"I know that you want to keep playing basketball, Kiyoshi-kun, but it's impossible for you now. Don't get me wrong, it's not as bad as you may think. You'll be fully recovered to play College ball. Isn't that your goal to begin with? I heard that you were already getting scholarship offers and whatnot."

Kiyoshi didn't really care about that. College or high school, it was all the same. As long as he was having fun playing basketball then he was content.

And he was having a lot of fun at Seirin.

"I'm sorry Kiyoshi-kun, but these are the cards you've been dealt. Now, if you'll excuse me—I have to attend to the next patient."

* * *

"So, Kiyoshi, how was it?" Hyuga asked. The entire Seirin team was with him, and Kiyoshi was pleasantly surprised that they all waited for him in the lobby.

"Of course we would wait for you moron. So, how was it?"

His teammates looked at him expectantly, and Kiyoshi hated being the bearer of bad news.

"Well, it's not looking good guys. I have to officially retire the number 7 jersey for now."

They were all shocked, but they tried their best to hide their disappointment.

It was Riko who took the initiative. She came up to Kiyoshi and gave him a hearty slap on the back."Well, at least you came out with a blast—I mean, we're the champions you know! And it's all thanks to you!"

Kiyoshi expressed his gratitude by giving Riko his best smile.

Upon seeing Kiyoshi's warm smile, Riko found it difficult to hold in the tears, and it didn't long for the tears to flow. "It's not fair! Why you?"

Soon the other players expressed their sympathies. Izuki and Koganei tried to cheer Kiyoshi up with some bad puns and jokes. The freshman duo, Kuroko and Kagami tried to cheer him up, but they just ended up arguing about the best way to cheer their senpai up. Well, it was mostly Kagami who did the arguing as the eerily complacent Kuroko was more reserved compared to his loud counterpart.

And the rest of the Seirin players all tried their best to cheer Kiyoshi up in their own unique ways and Kiyoshi appreciated their efforts, he really did. However, all their attempts only reminded Kiyoshi that he wouldn't really be seeing much of Seirin anymore.

He could watch their games, and he knew that Riko would be more than happy to let Kiyoshi be the assistant coach, but all of that wasn't enough to fill the void. It couldn't compare to wearing that number 7 jersey, and playing on the court with his friends.

Kiyoshi would miss it all, and the thought of being a bystander just made him feel worse.

* * *

The Seirin High Boys Basketball Team was officially on a break. They just won the Winter High Championships so no one could blame them for wanting to take some time off. Or at least, that was the original plan, but nobody in the team could sit still for long. Normal practice resumed after a short two day break.

Kiyoshi watched the team as they practiced some new strategies to counteract the 'Generation of Miracles'. Even though Seirin managed to beat the miracles and their respective teams in the previous tournament, the Seirin players weren't foolish enough to let those victories get to their heads.

The miracles were undoubtedly getting stronger by the second, and no one could accurately gauge their evolutionary limit. The miracles already displayed astounding growth in the last tournament. Midorima formed a deadly shadow/light combo with Takao, Muraskibara learned how to use the zone, Kise displayed his ever growing perfect copy, Aomine finally regained his love for the sport, and of course there was the captain of the miracles himself, Akashi, who recently rediscovered his true self.

Kiyoshi also speculated that some of the miracles already figured out the secret to 'the zone that surpasses the zone' as they've all seen Kagami entering it during the Rakuzan game. Kiyoshi couldn't even fathom what that would look like, if the miracles also found entry into that godly zone.

There was also the question of Seirin. Sure, their pillar Kiyoshi wouldn't be there for the next season, but would that really slow them down at all? They've all grown so much over the past year alone, and it was hard for Kiyoshi to admit, but they might do just fine even with Kiyoshi out of the picture.

In practice, they were already finding ways to fill in the void that Kiyoshi left. For the past few days, Kagami had been practicing the in-and-out game with Hyuga. Kagami looked very comfortable in the post, as he used his strength and agility to back his opponent down and create opportunities for himself, and most importantly, his teammates.

Kagami didn't possess Kiyoshi's point guard sense, but his undeniable trust in his teammates, as well as his natural leadership potential as the ace more than made up for it. And besides, Kagami didn't need the 'right of postponement' to be the team's post-playmaker. Kagami already had that animal instinct and he had an uncanny ability to read his teammate's plays.

In fact, if Kiyoshi had the fundamental point-guard sense, then Kagami had a new breed of play-sense, one that would make use of his overwhelming unpredictability. And there was also the shadow that accompanied him, the specialist, Kuroko. The shadow who became the light. The freshman duo had officially taken down all the Generation of Miracles. They were officially the best players in Japan and they achieved all that in their freshman year. Truly frightening.

The upcoming year would be full of surprises, and Kiyoshi would miss it all.

* * *

Practice was over, and even though the whole team expressed their gratitude for Kiyoshi's support, he was well aware of his redundancy. Sure, he gave Kagami some pointers about passing from the post, and sure, he gave the silent Mitobe, who was a sure fire to take over Kiyoshi's starting role, some tips on screening and rebounding, but Kiyoshi knew that they were all capable enough to stand on their own.

Still, Kiyoshi indulged himself in his newfound supporting role. It was the only basketball related thing he could do. Well, he could coach, but Riko was already light years ahead of him in that regard. So he had to settle with his current ambiguous position as an assistant of sorts.

He found it very amusing, how he stepped down from the 'team's pillar' to the team's petty assistant. Well, he was the one who graciously accepted the role, so there wasn't any point in complaining was there? Still, Kiyoshi found himself increasingly frustrated by the unfair turn of events. If the basketball gods were spiting him so be it, but Kiyoshi knew that this was just a consequence of his decisions.

And they seemed like good decisions at the time but were they really worth it in the long run? Of course, Kiyoshi thought, the previous year was the best chance they had for a championship. The seniors, Hyuga, Izuki, and Kiyoshi himself were at the peak of their careers. Kagami, and Kuroko, as freshmen were hungry for victory and full of potential. And they were lucky to face the miracles in their incomplete, undeveloped forms. They were all selfish, and egotistic at the time, but lately the miracles developed into true basketball players. In the upcoming year, Kiyoshi thought, Seirin might not stand a chance.

So the previous year was really the right time to go all out.

And the result was this, Kiyoshi lamented, a busted up and completely useless knee.

Kiyoshi looked around at the empty school grounds. Everyone already left, but Kiyoshi decided to stay awhile. He walked around the school grounds for a good thirty minutes until he ended up back where he started, at the basketball gym.

However, something was amiss.

The lock had been hastily cast aside and the gym's front door was slightly ajar. An intruder? Kiyoshi considered calling the police, but what if it was just the school janitor or something?

Then Kiyoshi heard the familiar sound of a basketball thumping against the gym floor.

Kiyoshi determined that there were three people in there. He'd been playing basketball for so long that his ears have developed an innate sense for these things. Kiyoshi thought that some Seirin players decided to come back, and while Kiyoshi commended their dedication, he had to reprimand them for breaking school rules. No one was allowed at the gym at that hour.

And so, like any good senpai would have done, Kiyoshi stepped into the gym to chase out the intruders.

"Hey, kiddies!" Kiyoshi bellowed out in a loud voice and he heard a female voice gasp out. Was Riko there? Kiyoshi didn't peg her for a troublemaker, but he didn't think too deeply about it. "You guys—you know that I'm an advocate for some fun and all, but don't you think it's too late for this?"

Silence. No one was answering. Kiyoshi found it a little odd but, again, he didn't really pay it much heed. He looked for the light switch and only when his vision got better did Kiyoshi realize who he was talking to.

"G-Girls?!" Kiyoshi exclaimed. In the gym were three girls that he didn't know. They all looked like underclassmen and they were clad in gym attire. They were all drenched in sweat and they each had a basketball.

The girls looked backed at him, and they were equally shocked to see him there.

And that was their first encounter. That was how Kiyoshi met his new basketball team.


	2. Let's have some fun!

**2**

**Let's have some fun!**

Kiyoshi noticed the tall one first. She had her black hair done up in a ponytail and her height and looks made her seem mature. She noticed Kiyoshi staring at her, and she gave him a wink. She didn't seem like an underclassman at all, in fact, she had that older sister feel to her.

The second one, the one in the middle, was a bit shorter than the pony tail girl, and she had this short, auburn hair, sort of like Riko's but a tad bit messier. She had this menacing look on her face and it made her look like a delinquent. Kiyoshi was reminded of Hyuga in his freshman year. Kiyoshi thought that she had a cigarette sticking out of her mouth but it was just a lollipop.

The last girl was shorter than the other girls, and she didn't really stand out to much. She had this incredible white hair and a pair of sky blue eyes. Kiyoshi met her eyes, but she immediately looked away. She looked like the shy type.

The tall girl, and the shorthaired girl secretly talked among themselves. Kiyoshi couldn't hear them properly but he could sense that they were scheming something.

Then they turned to Kiyoshi and something about their eyes sent Kiyoshi on red alert.

"Hey, listen girls—why don't we all just calm down and—"

The girls weren't interested in Kiyoshi's pacifist ways as they both bull rushed him and took him down. The tall one pinned his arms to the ground, and the delinquent looking one straddled his tummy.

Kiyoshi didn't know if he was in a disadvantageous situation or not. They were assaulting him and it hurt, but he could also feel the tall girl's breast rubbing down on his arms. And he was pretty sure that the girl straddling him was—okay he didn't even want to think about it! They were his underclassmen for crying out loud, and he was being assaulted. Assaulted! Kiyoshi took some sharp breaths to calm himself down, but the delinquent girl mistook his sharp breathing for something else.

"Look at this pervert." The short haired girl said. "He's enjoying this isn't he?"

"Well, I'll be insulted if he isn't. I'm quite proud of my figure, thank you very much," tall girl said, as she puffed out her chest in pride.

"N-No," Kiyoshi stuttered, "I assure you that this is just a natural reaction. Oh no, I could have said that better—"

"See? What'd I tell ya? A pervert."

Meanwhile, the white haired girl was watching from the side, and she didn't seem to agree with her companions' actions. "Tamaki-san, Kotobuki-san, I think that you should let him go."

Kiyoshi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, I think you should listen to your friend here—"

The two girls straddling Kiyoshi looked hesitant but they eventually let him go.

The white haired girl rushed over to Kiyoshi. "Please excuse our rudeness!" Then she bowed very deeply and Kiyoshi felt awkward about it.

"Ah, no, it's no big deal really."

The white haired girl kept bowing some more, and Kiyoshi tried his best to calm her down but she wouldn't stop.

"Leave her be," the delinquent one, otherwise known as Fujisaki said, "It's just her nature. Hey, Rei-chan, he said it's okay alright? So give it a rest."

"Y-Yes," Rei said, "but I'm just truly sorry, and—"

Kiyoshi patted her head. "Okay, Okay, I get it. You're forgiven alright?"

Rei looked up at him with teary eyes. "Senpai—"

Kiyoshi had to look away. What was up with this girl, Kiyoshi thought, is this what they call moe?!

So the girls explained their situation to Kiyoshi. They told him that they often snuck in to use the court whenever the boys were done. Seirin High didn't have a girls' basketball club so they had to resort to breaking and entering. Nobody caught them since they played with the lights turned off, and they were usually careful not to leave any evidence.

"Now, who was it that left the door open?" Tamaki asked. "He caught us because somebody forgot to re-lock the door you know?"

Rei started crying-again. "I'm sorry! It was my fault, and—"

"Here we go again—"

Kiyoshi couldn't help but be impressed by their determination. They played in the dark? And they practiced so late as well! Apparently, they started their late night practices ever since the start of the year. And they were all still freshmen, nearing their sophomore year. Kiyoshi was reminded of Kagami and Kuroko and all the extra hours they put into practice.

"Say," the tall one, Kotobuki said, "We all know who you are, Kiyoshi-senpai, in fact we really admire you."

"O-Oh really?" Kiyoshi was quite flattered. Despite being a crownless general, Kiyoshi didn't really get the treatment that someone like Kise got. So Kiyoshi was glad to know that he had some fans.

"Well, I was thinking, senpai—would it be alright if you coached us?"

"Huh?!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Wait, hold on, Kotobuki—we can't just ask him like that. I mean, he must hate us for earlier anyways, "Tamaki looked downwards, "Oh yeah, I still didn't apologize for earlier. Yeah, sorry about that senpai."

Kiyoshi was honestly surprised to see Tamaki's tender side. "I'm not angry at you guys, so please go on."

Kotobuki looked at Kiyoshi with some uncertainty. "Please forgive me for saying so, but we are well aware of your knee's condition. We watched all your games after all, and we know that you won't be playing this year."

"H-Hey, Kotobuki-san—that's not nice!"

"It's okay," Kiyoshi said, silencing Rei, "yes you're right on all counts—Kotobuki, but you have to understand that I still have duties with the boys club."

That seemed to silence the girls. Kiyoshi continued, "If you girls are really that committed to playing basketball, then why don't you ask for a sponsor? I'm sure one of the teachers will gladly support your cause."

The girls looked at each other. It was Tamaki who answered. "We tried that, but they won't let us start a club with only three members. All the other girls joined the soccer team, and the archery team. Those are the two most popular sports for girls at this school. Heck some of 'em even joined sumo wrestling. Girls at this school just don't like basketball I guess."

"But we like it," Kotobuki pitched in, "we really like to play basketball."

"And that explains why you sneak in every day?" Kiyoshi mused.

"Yes!" They all exclaimed. They were so in sync, Kiyoshi observed, their chemistry alone was astounding. He still didn't know their skill levels though.

Skills and talent aside, their determination was enough to impress Kiyoshi. He was reminded of the original Seirin Boys squad. When he looked at the girls before him, Kiyoshi couldn't help by reminisce about the past.

Kiyoshi really wanted to help the girls, but he couldn't just quit his current team could he? He wasn't the type to half-ass something. If Kiyoshi makes a commitment then he would see it through the end.

"Tell you what," Kiyoshi said, "give me some time to think about it."

The three girls were about to celebrate, but Kiyoshi stopped them before they could. "I really want to help you guys out, but I have to talk with my team first, okay?"

"Yes!" They were in unison once again.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Good. In the meantime, please look for a different place to practice. You girls will get caught sooner or later. Take today as an example."

They all started arguing among themselves, and once again, Kiyoshi was brought back to the past.

Nostalgia really hits hard, he thought.

* * *

The next day, it was practice as usual for the Seirin Boys. Kiyoshi was in the middle of coaching some new recruits. The team's exploits earned them some fame so a bunch of first years decided to check the team out. Most of them backed out during the first few drills, but some dedicated first years decided to stay.

If Kiyoshi was going to take coaching seriously, then he better get accustomed to reading his players' potentials. That was what he decided. Kiyoshi was decent at it, but he wasn't nearly as good as Riko.

It was frustrating at first, but Kiyoshi soon got the hang of it. The first thing he'd do is look for the player's preferences. Were they a spot-up shooter, or maybe a slasher? Were they a ball handler, or did they like to work in the post?

He didn't necessarily focus on skill level yet since they were all newbies anyway. He just wanted to gauge out their playing style and niche. He could develop their skills later on.

What Seirin needed was a wing man who could handle the ball. It would be great if they could create their own shots, but that would be asking too much from the rookies. Kiyoshi knew that the team had great spot up shooters like Hyuga, and to some extent, Izuki. However, there weren't a lot of players who could create their own shots off the dribble.

Another one of Seirin's glaring weaknesses was their lack of good ball-handlers. Aside from the point guard Izuki, no one could act as a true facilitator in the perimeter. They got away with it with Kiyoshi and his oddball style as the centre/point guard, and they used Kuroko a lot to confuse the opponents, but what if it failed?

And that was the problem. With Kiyoshi gone, Seirin would have to use Kuroko more and more just to get the ball around, and in extreme cases like when they face a defensive orientated team, then they'll have to use Kuroko just to make the first outlet pass!

The first defensive orientated team that came to mind was Seiho High, and they would undoubtedly exploit this weakness. All they had to do was deny Izuki the pass and force Hyuga or the others to bring up the ball. And since no one in the starting lineup could handle the ball like Izuki, it would end up as an easy steal for a team like Seiho.

Kiyoshi knew that Kagami displayed flashes of ball handling skills in the past, but that was mainly when he was in the zone. Kagami couldn't be expected to enter the zone at every match. Kagami could just use his speed and power to drive by opponents using a one-dribble move, but Kagami tended to have tunnel vision on the drive. Meaning, he'd be so focused on scoring that he wouldn't be able to see his teammate's movements. Kagami wouldn't be able to make the right decision and he would eventually turn the ball over.

Now, there were several options to fix the glaring ball-handler void in the starting line-up. One option was to utilize Furihata more often. His calm judgment was already a plus and his ball-handling, while not great, was already better than most players in the team. He also had good decision making skills and he didn't suffer from tunnel vision like the hot-headed Kagami.

The only problem with Furihata was his inexperience and his inconsistency. Furihata took a while to get going as was easily intimidated by opponents. That was something that Furihata had to fix himself, Kiyoshi couldn't think of a way to make it easier for him. The only way to help Furihata was to play him in more games and get him more experience.

Riko talked about this before. She planned on putting Furihata out at the two-guard to increase ball movement with Izuki. Two point guards, plus Kuroko's unpredictability. It would be a strategic nightmare for the other team's coach. It would have been more deadly with Kiyoshi at the center, but wishful thinking never got anyone anywhere.

The problem with the Izuki-Furihata lineup was the fact that Hyuga would have to switch out with Furihata. Hyuga's long shooting range gave the other players more space to work with. Kagami would lose a lot of his cutting and driving penetration if Hyuga was out of the lineup.

Hyuga could replace Mitobe at the power forward position and while it would create a lot of space on the paint on offence, it would be a nightmare for Hyuga on defence as he will have to face up against bigger opponents.

Another option would be to replace Kuroko with Hyuga, but that combination was highly situational.

Kiyoshi couldn't help but think that it would have been way easier if he was still in the lineup.

"Hey, Hey Kiyoshi. Earth to Kiyoshi!" It was Riko. "What's wrong with you? You've been spacing out for the last five minutes!"

"Ah, sorry. I've just been thinking about our rotations."

Riko sighed. "I knew it. Listen, if you're worried about the whole ball-handler situation, just take a look at Hyuga right now. He's been doing dribbling drills for the past three days. He's also working on his pull-up jumpers too!"

Kiyoshi looked at Hyuga and his dribbling certainly got sharper. As Riko and Kiyoshi spoke, Hyuga was intently weaving and dribbling across a maze of cones. Whenever he hit a cone, Hyuga would cry out in frustration and drop down to do a set of push ups. Then he would repeat the process.

"See? He knows how much of a liability he is. So don't worry about that."

"I didn't call him a liability you know?"

"Well, he's a liability to me—"Riko muttered.

Kiyoshi felt a bit adventurous so he decided to tease Riko a little. "So, coach, how was the date with the captain?"

Riko turned red all over as she smacked Kiyoshi on the chest. "H-How'd you know about that?"

Kiyoshi shrugged. "Everybody knows it. We were all playing street ball when we saw you two holding hands at the park. Were you two out on a stroll or something? How romantic!"

"You idiot!"

Kiyoshi Teppei got a slap for his troubles.

* * *

It was around midnight when the girls came over.

Kiyoshi had been waiting for them for quite some time. Practice ended a while ago but Kiyoshi decided to stick around just to see if the girls _did_ come over every day.

And they did.

"K-Kiyoshi-senpai? What are you doing here?" Rei asked. She and the other girls wore gym attire. They had all their supplies and everything. They meant business.

"Are you perhaps ready to tell us your answer?" Kotobuki asked.

"Well, I couldn't find the right time to ask my team today, so I can't answer you yet."

"What are you doing here then? If you don't have business with us then leave!"

"Tamaki-san! P-Please don't be so mean!"

Kiyoshi laughed. He sort of got used to their bantering, even though it had only been a couple of days since he met the girls.

"I can't answer you yet, but I'm really curious—I want you girls to show me what you got."

Kiyoshi could tell that he got the girls interested.

"Oh? If that's what you want then I'll show you my killer moves!"

"Sounds great, senpai. I will not fail to disappoint!"

"Eh? S-Senpai is going to watch me?"

Kiyoshi grinned triumphantly. "That's what I like to hear girls. Let's have some fun!"


	3. Please take us seriously!

**3**

**Please take us seriously!**

* * *

Kiyoshi couldn't believe his eyes.

They were playing king-of-the-court. It was a 1-on-1 game and the goal was to score three points before the opponent. The winner stays on the court and acted as 'The King'.

Rei-chan started out as 'The King' and she remained that way thirty minutes later.

"Ah! Rei-chan, stop stealing the ball from me! You're making me look like a total fool!" Tamaki bellowed at the white haired girl.

Rei apologized profusely "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Tamaki-san, please forgive me!"

It wasn't like Rei was a scoring threat like Aomine or Kagami or anything like that. In fact it was the opposite.

Rei was a defensive nightmare.

Kiyoshi was reminded of Seiho High's Tsugawa Tomoki, the famous shaven head pressure defender. The only difference was that Tsugawa was hot headed like Kagami and he tended to go all out from the get-go. It worked out for Tsugawa since he had amazing stamina.

On the other hand, Rei was more composed and analytical. In fact, she couldn't even be considered as a pressure defender since she didn't draw too close to the attacking player. Rei was more of an 'anticipatory defender'.

She would anticipate the opposing player's advances and then she would block off their scoring route. It was a frustrating style of play, and it made Rei seem like a mind reader since she would always be two steps ahead of the other player.

This style suited her since her physical ability and stamina could be considered average. She made up for it with her smarts and technique. Kiyoshi compared her to Kuroko. Except Kuroko was an offensive specialist while Rei leaned towards the defensive spectrum.

Rei could make some simple layups and close shots. She would take advantage of steals and turnovers to drive in an easy layup. It also looked like she had some previous basketball experience. Kiyoshi figured that she probably played in middle school.

That still wasn't enough to explain her defensive prowess. There must've been something, or someone, that gave her such a potent ability.

Kiyoshi also observed the two other girls. They seemed like novices at basketball, but it was clear from their controlled movements that they were athletes from other sports.

The calm and composed Kotobuki used her height well and she had the makings of a good center. She seemed like a well-rounded player compared to a specialist like Rei. Kiyoshi liked balanced players though since they were good in every situation. And if need be, they could develop a specialty later on.

Tamaki was—well Tamaki didn't look like she played basketball for long. She had great speed and power though, which she probably acquired from another sport like martial arts or kendo. Her movements off the ball were good, and she also possessed wonderful instincts, but she was a disaster with the ball. Her dribbling was high and unstable.

In fact, Tamaki was Rei's first matchup, and Kiyoshi almost missed Rei's defensive superiority because of how bad Tamaki's ball-handling had been. Kiyoshi couldn't properly gauge Rei's defensive abilities until she faced off with a decent ball-handler like Kotobuki.

It was strange, that the center-bound Kotobuki had better dribbling skills than the forward/guard looking Tamaki. Then again, Kiyoshi wasn't one to talk about strange Centers since he was an oddball Center himself. Kiyoshi envisioned a mobile ball-handling Center in Kotobuki, but he was getting ahead of himself.

Before thinking about specialties or anything like that, it was clear that Kiyoshi had to teach the girls fundamentals first.

"Okay girls," he said, once they were all done with the game, "let's do some drills for now."

Tamaki seemed excited. "Alright! Does that mean you're going to coach us for now?"

"Yes, but the keyword is 'for now'. I still have to settle some other things. So, are you guys going to keep asking me questions or do you want to do some drills?"

"Drills!" In unison, as usual.

Kiyoshi showed them some dribbling drills, similar to the ones that the Seirin Boys did every practice.

The girls noticed Kiyoshi's uncertainty, but they followed Kiyoshi's orders nonetheless. And he was thankful for that since he wasn't so certain about anything anymore. He felt so torn. And every decision had a negative outcome.

If he decided to coach the girls then he would lose his former team. Well, he wouldn't technically lose them, but he was certain that a drift would form. The last time he was injured, it took Kiyoshi some time to integrate into the new team. Kiyoshi remembered the dispute he had with Kagami over the 'Ace' position.

Kiyoshi knew that his relationship with Seirin would never be the same again if he left.

On the other hand, if he refused the girls then—well, he would be refusing the girls. And they really needed a coach and insight from a senpai.

So many decisions, so many repercussions. Kiyoshi didn't know what to do anymore.

Kiyoshi made them do some more drills, mainly focused on the fundamentals. They kept doing drills until it got really late. Kiyoshi decided that it was time to go home.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Same time same place. Oh yeah, did you guys find a new location to practice?"

By the looks of their expressions, Kiyoshi knew that they didn't really try that hard to look around.

"Well, listen guys. I know that it's not an immediate concern right now but we have to make this a priority too."

Tamaki couldn't help but disagree. "Shouldn't we find more players first? We can't play with only three people."

Kiyoshi wasn't exactly the strict type, but he knew that he had to be firm as a coach, otherwise they won't listen. "Nobody's going to join you if you don't have a proper place to practice."

Tamaki was amazingly stubborn. "We can just tell them to practice here—"

"You're going to make them sneak in here in the middle of the night? It's no wonder nobody wants to join you guys."

They all flinched from Kiyoshi's careless remarks. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." He thoroughly regretted his carelessness.

"I-It's okay senpai," Tamaki murmured, "it was my fault for being so stubborn."

Kiyoshi's first ever practice with the girls ended in a sour note.

* * *

"Excuse me, I know that it's none of my business Kiyoshi-senpai, but you look very tired these days." It was Kuroko. Kiyoshi knew that he couldn't bypass Kuroko's keen observation skills. It had been three days since Kiyoshi's first practice with the girls and the midnight meetings were putting a toll on Kiyoshi.

His schedule was hectic. Kiyoshi had to study for college, assist the Seirin Boys' team, and then train the girls at night. Kiyoshi had never been more tired in his life.

"Don't worry about me Kuroko, worry about your jump shot instead."

Kuroko wanted to add the orthodox jump shot in his ever increasing repertoire. Hyuga would be the ideal fit for the job but the dutiful captain was still working on his separate training regimen. So Kiyoshi was given the task.

Kiyoshi wasn't known for his shooting skills, but he was decent enough to teach Kuroko about the basics.

"Don't focus on your arms," Kiyoshi said, "the power comes from your glutes and the connection with your feet, more specifically your toes. Don't bend your knees too much either. Bending them will actually decrease the power. You should 'flex' your knees instead of bending them."

Kuroko tried to absorb all this information, and although he was making progress, shooting wasn't an art that one could learn instantly. It takes years of proper training and experience.

Still, the phantom six man was known for his dedication, and he followed Kiyoshi's every advice in order to develop a proper jump shot.

Kuroko's practice session was interrupted when Riko came over to speak with Kiyoshi.

"What's up Riko?"

Riko gestured over to the door. "There's a _girl _here for you. Way to go Kiyoshi-kun!"

She said it loud enough for the whole team to hear. Soon, Kiyoshi was bombarded with a lot of heckling and low whistles.

"Way to go 'Iron Heart'!" Koganei yelled!

"Yeah, make sure not to break her heart, 'Iron Heart'," Izuki called out.

Kiyoshi ignored them all as he made his way to the door. He was mighty surprised to see Rei there.

"U-Um Senpai, I'm sorry to disturb you during practice."

Rei was in her casual clothes which consisted of a sky blue hoodie and a pair of jean shorts.

"It's no problem. I'm just surprised to see you here so early. Our 'secret' practices don't start in an hour our or so."

"About that—I think I found a way so we can practice properly."

Kiyoshi was pleasantly surprised. "Great! What's the plan?"

Rei looked confused. "I already talked to your coach about it—didn't she tell you?"

He heard Riko calling out in a loud voice.

"Seirin! Gather together. I have something to ask you!" Riko bellowed, as she waved the team together.

Some of the new recruits were crying out in joy, thinking that Riko would end the practice early. Fat chance, Kiyoshi thought.

Riko began her speech. "Seirin, let me tell you something. A group of dedicated girls have been sneaking in here every night. The purpose? They desperately want to play basketball but the school won't allow them. They don't have enough members so they can't be considered a proper club. Long story short, they need a place to practice properly, and they are asking you to share this gym with them. What do you think about this?"

Kiyoshi, and pretty much everybody was shocked. Kiyoshi looked at the silent girl beside him. Did she really do this? Rei noticed Kiyoshi's gaze and she started blushing in embarrassment.

"Please don't look at me so much senpai."

Kiyoshi gulped. He didn't know if she was doing it on purpose or what, but those mannerism were slowly making him insane!

The Seirin players were discussing among themselves. Finally, it was Izuki who spoke up.

"So, does that mean that we will be sharing the gym with them? Like a joint practice of sorts?"

Riko nodded. "Yes. Although I want to help these girls, I do not intend to cut our practice short just to accommodate them. It's just as you said Izuki-kun, we will be sharing the gym with them."

There was some more murmuring among the crowd and it was Kagami who broke the increasing noise. "Hey, Hey, the space here is limited enough as it is. Don't get me wrong—I want to help them too, but we are a serious team here. We just won the Winter Cup and all."

From the looks of it, everyone seemed to agree with Kagami. He was the Ace after all. His words carried a lot of weight.

Kiyoshi wanted to disagree, but he knew that Kagami had a point. Seirin were the champions, and that meant that they had the responsibility to win. Why should they let a bunch of amateurs come in and distract them?

"U-Um, excuse me, you are wrong!"

It was Rei who yelled out. Kiyoshi couldn't stop her from running out to Riko's side.

She regarded Kagami. "I-I don't mean to offend you, Kagami-san, but you are wrong about us. We didn't come to play around! By the way, I really admire you're playing style. It's very exciting!"

Kagami was completely caught off guard by the compliment. "U-Uh, thanks?"

Rei took a couple of moments to compose herself. "We are very serious about basketball. You may think that we are playing just to have fun but we—we also want to win it all! We want to be the best in the nation! So please—I'm not expecting you guys to just hand the gym over to us but—please take us seriously!"

Then, as if to finalize her words, Rei took a deep bow to the Seirin team. The crowd was left speechless.

Rei's words seemed to resonate with the Seirin boys. And Kiyoshi knew for a fact that the original Seirin members would relate to Rei's desperation. Kiyoshi noticed how Hyuga, Izuki, Mitobe, Koganei, and Tsuchida all looked at each other. They were all having the same thoughts.

We were the same back then.

Kiyoshi felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Kotobuki. "Hello senpai, you didn't happen to see Rei-chan come by, did you?"

Kiyoshi wordlessly pointed to Rei who was still bowing to the entire team.

"Uwah—that Rei-chan just ran off without telling us where she was going! We had to look everywhere for her!"

"What happened?" Kiyoshi asked.

It was Tamaki who explained. "Well, we were all talking about giving up on finding a new location and all. Rei must've thought that we would quit on her too, and you know that we wouldn't do that to her, but she freaked out! She ran off saying that she would fix everything."

"What did Rei-chan do here anyway?" Kotobuki asked.

"She's asking permission to share the gym with the boys."

Tamaki and Kotobuki gasped in surprise.

"You girls are really lucky to have someone like her in your team. She's really something else."

The two girls nodded in agreement.

"Now," Kiyoshi said, "why don't you go join her? She needs her teammates at her side more than ever."

The two girls exchanged a determined nod as they ran off to join their friend. When they got to the center, they each bowed their heads, and with a loud voice they made their claim.

"We are the Seirin High Girls Basketball Club! Please let us use your gym!"

In unison as usual, Kiyoshi noted.


	4. I want revenge

**4**

**I want revenge**

* * *

The girls and boys were having their first joint practice ever. And it was all due to Rei's heroics the previous night

Kiyoshi recounted the seemingly magical moment when the girls bowed in front of everyone and declared their intentions.

_We are the Seirin High Girls' Basketball Club!_

It made him so proud of them. As if he was a father watching his daughters graduate. Kiyoshi suddenly felt very old.

Kiyoshi also remembered how he had to do the same thing. He bowed in front of his teammates and told them that he was coaching the girls. Kiyoshi expected some negative feedback but they were very supportive of his decision.

"Treat the girl's well _coach_." Hyuga hollered.

"Stay away from their change rooms, _coach_." Izuki added.

He was glad, but Kiyoshi didn't really appreciate their lame jokes.

The girls were doing some rebounding drills with the boys. The girls integrated into the system quickly enough and part of it was due to the respect they gained from the boys. Kiyoshi knew that the Seirin players saw a part of themselves in the girls and they were inspired by their determination and courage.

Earlier, in the start of practice, Riko offered to give the girls a body scan. At first the boys got excited, remembering how they themselves had to strip in front of Riko, but their expectations were betrayed when Riko took the girls aside to a separate room.

"You pervs! Keep running, don't stop until I come back!" Riko yelled.

And so Kiyoshi watched the boys ran lap after lap until Riko came back with the girls and the results.

"Take a look at this." Riko said, as she gave Kiyoshi some files, "I made a diagram detailing their attributes and potential. Put it to good use."

Kiyoshi thanked her. He was eager to look but he had to deal with the girls first. They were looking at him, awaiting orders.

"Okay girls, I want you to join the boys in their running drills for now. Don't lose to them in endurance and show them what you're made of!"

"Yes!" they responded.

"Wait, Fujisaki!" Kiyoshi called out. The white haired girl stayed back.

"Yes? What is it coach?"

Kiyoshi wasn't used to being called 'coach'.

"Well, I just want to say—good job, you know, for what you did yesterday. You're really great!"

Rei beamed him a small, and modest smile. "I-It's nothing. I'm not that great."

Kiyoshi was about to say something else but she suddenly ran off to join the others. Kiyoshi was puzzled. Why was she in such a hurry?

He didn't really think too much about it. Instead, he decided to go check the stats Riko collected for him.

**Fujisaki Rei**

Physical Ability: 6/10

Technique: 7/10

Stamina: 6/10

Mental Strength: 10/10

Special Ability: 10/10

**Tamaki Izumi**

Physical Ability: 10/10

Technique: 4/10

Stamina: 10/10

Mental strength: 6/10

Special Ability: 5/10

**Kotobuki Mai**

Physical Ability: 7/10

Technique: 8/10

Stamina: 7/10

Mental Strength: 8/10

Special Ability: 6/10

He wasn't really too surprised to see Rei's exceptionally high intellect and special ability stats. He saw her abilities first hand after all.

Kiyoshi noticed that Tamaki made up for her lack of technique with her sheer physical prowess. He overheard Kotobuki mentioning that Tamaki used to be a martial artist so it made sense to Kiyoshi.

On the other hand, Kotobuki was a more balanced player, but she had a peculiar ability. Kiyoshi made Kotobuki do some advanced dribbling drills earlier and he confirmed his earlier suspicions. Despite being a forward/center type player, Kotobuki was oddly proficient at handling the ball.

Riko noticed this as well. She told Kiyoshi, "You know, those three girls could be the foundation to a great run-and-gun team."

Kiyoshi saw the possibilities. The three girls were very mobile, and they could force a lot of turnovers with Rei's defence.

"Yes, the boys and the girls are similar but it looks like your team will focus on defence rather than a fast paced point war."

"What do you mean?" Kiyoshi asked.

"I mean, your style will focus on 'defence that leads to offence'. You have to make smart defensive stops in order to get the transition attacks going. That way, you will make full use of Rei's abilities."

Kiyoshi nodded. "I see, thanks for the insight coach."

"No problem—_coach."_

He still wasn't used to being called coach.

The practiced commenced smoothly. Kiyoshi watched as Rei practiced one-on-one with Kagami. She was heavily disadvantaged because of the height, and not to mention weight, difference but she held her own. Kagami was obviously pressured and it made his movements sloppy.

Izuki made fun of him for it. "What's wrong Kagami? Can't beat a little girl?"

"Shut up! Please..."

Kagami still didn't have the hang for the Japanese language, Kiyoshi observed. He also noticed that Rei was more lively than usual. She was laughing and smiling the whole time. She was having fun.

"You know, coach, that Rei is really one of a kind."

He was surprised to see Kotobuki beside him. "W-What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be practicing?"

"I'm taking a break, that glasses-senpai told me to take a breather."

She must be referring to Hyuga, Kiyoshi thought. The girls weren't familiar with the boys yet. It had only been a day after all.

"So, you three went to the same middle school right?" Kiyoshi asked, as he offered Kotobuki a towel.

"Thank you," she said, as she used the towel to dry off, "yes we went to Teiko."

Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, _that _Teiko?"

Kotobuki giggled at Kiyoshi's reaction. She really did seem like the older sister type, Kiyoshi thought. "Yes, we went to Teiko, but please remember that Teiko was known for their basketball team. All the other sports clubs were pretty much overshadowed by those monsters."

"Well then, which club were you in, Kotobuki?"

She imitated an archer's stance.

"Archery?"

She nodded. "Yes. It was a family tradition but I hated it. I saw Rei playing and it looked like fun so I decided to switch over to basketball. My family sort of hated me for it—but whatever. I'm pretty sure it was the same for Tamaki, more or less. I think I already mentioned that Tamaki was in the Karate club—did I mention that?"

Kiyoshi just happened to overhear earlier but he didn't say that. It made him seem like an eavesdropper. "Yes, you mentioned it. So it's true that Rei—I mean Fujisaki, played basketball in middle school?"

She giggled again. Was Kiyoshi being made fun of? It sure felt like it, he thought.

"You can call her Rei you know? That's what you've been calling her before."

"Yes, but that was only because you all referred to her as such. I didn't know her last name back then."

"You know," Kotobuki leaned in and whispered to his ear, "I bet she wouldn't mind all too much if you started calling her Rei-chan."

Kiyoshi backed away from her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm just saying, as the coach you should be able to tell these things. Like the moods of the players and whatnot—"

"Okay, enough joking around. I like having fun and all but I don't like where this is heading." Kiyoshi admitted.

"Okay, Okay. I'm just teasing you."

"Should a kouhai really be teasing her senpai?"

"Okay, senpai, I will make sure to know my place."

"That's not what I meant—"

They kept bantering like that for a while, until Kiyoshi asked another question about Rei.

"So she played for Teiko? Isn't that really amazing?" Kiyoshi was getting excited. Did they have a miracle type player in their midst?

Kotobuki shook her head. "Well, _senpai," _Kiyoshi couldn't help but notice the great emphasis in the word senpai, "Rei was a starter and she was great, but her sister Kotomi was the _real _superstar."

That still didn't explain how Rei got so good at defense. Kiyoshi decided to ask about this.

"Oh, she trained with her sister a lot. Or more like, Rei's sister beat her so many times that Rei eventually got good at defense. They played a lot of one-on-ones with each other whenever possible."

Kiyoshi couldn't help but feel sorry for Rei. Was the difference really that huge between the siblings?

Kotobuki gave Kiyoshi a searching look. "I'm surprised you've never heard of Rei's older sister. I mean, she was part of the 'Olympus 5' after all."

"What's that? Are you referring to Greek legend?" Kiyoshi felt stupid. It felt like Kotobuki was the one coaching him and not the other way around.

Kotobuki contemplated this. "Well, they might as well be legends. They all played in different teams and their respective teams pretty much had a shot of winning the title, even if they were mediocre to begin with. I mean, it's no surprise since the Olympus 5 were the female equivalent of the Generation of Miracles and all."

"What?!" Kiyoshi couldn't believe his ears.

"Huh. You don't follow women's basketball do you?"

"No, I'm sorry." Kiyoshi admitted. "And this Fujisaki Kotomi, Rei's older sister, she's a part of this Olympus 5?!"

Kotobuki couldn't help but laugh at this. "I'm sorry for laughing, but you have to understand, she wasn't just a _part _of it. She was the best of the Olympus 5. She was the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the queen of—"

"Okay, I get it," Kiyoshi said, as Kotobuki got excited for no reason, "so you're telling me that she is the best player in the nation? Rei trained with a monster like that?"

"Yes. Fujisaki Kotomi was known for being the fastest player in the Olympus 5. They called her the 'Zeus of the Olympus 5' because of her lightning speed. And she was a complete player. She dominated on offense and defense. She doesn't really have a playing style, she could do practically anything."

So that was how Rei developed her lightning fast 'anticipatory defense'. It sent a shiver down Kiyoshi's spine. "Say, how long have those two siblings been playing together?"

Kotobuki thought about this. "I think Rei mentioned that they played since grade school, and up until last year."

Kiyoshi was puzzled. "Why, what happened last year?"

Kotobuki was deathly silent.

"W-What is it? What happened to her?

"Senpai—well I guess I should tell you, I mean I already told you so much."

"What is it?" Somehow, Kiyoshi knew that he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Kotomi-san—she died in an accident."

Kiyoshi couldn't believe what he was hearing. A great player like that? She died just like that?

Although it was tough for Kiyoshi to swallow, he had to accept the facts. No one could escape death, he reminded himself. It didn't matter who you were or what you achieved.

Still, Kiyoshi didn't know this Kotomi person, but it was always sad to hear about somebody's death. Especially if they had so much potential. What a waste, he thought.

Kiyoshi looked at Kotobuki's saddened expression, and then at the white haired girl playing her heart out on the court. He looked at Rei's smile. Was she just faking it?

He was about to approach Rei, to ask her about the whole situation, but he was interrupted by a loud crashing noise. Kiyoshi looked over to the gym doors which were blasted wide open. A girl stood by the doors.

The girl was about Rei's height, and she had black shoulder length hair, with white stripes across it. Kiyoshi didn't know if the white stripes were dyed on or if they were natural. She also had a pair of golden eyes that seemed to glow. She wore a grey hoodie, track pants, and a pair of basketball shoes.

Riko was the first to greet the unexpected newcomer. "Hello? Who are you?"

The girl ignored Riko. "I'm looking for Kotomi Fujisaki's sister. Where are you? Show your face!"

"Fujisaki?" the boys whispered among themselves. "Does she mean _our _Fujisaki?"

Everyone turned to Rei. She was in the middle of some shooting practice with Tamaki.

Rei looked to Tamaki, but Tamaki didn't know what was going on. Then Rei looked to Kiyoshi but he was just as clueless. Then she looked over to the newcomer.

The newcomer pointed a finger at Rei. "Ah, that white hair. It's you! You're Fujisaki's sister right?"

Kiyoshi noticed that Rei was shaking. She wasn't used to being confronted. Kiyoshi decided to take the initiative. He stepped forward to face the newcomer.

"Hey. I'm Rei's—I mean Fujisaki's coach. State your business."

"What? Are you her boyfriend or something?"

"N-No! I just said that I was her coach—"

"Well whatever, boyfriend-san. Listen. I have something to say to Fujisaki Rei over there."

Kiyoshi was still flustered but he forced himself to ask, "What is it?"

The newcomer smirked, and Kiyoshi noticed her sharp, shark like teeth.

"Fujisaki Rei. I want revenge for what your sister did to me!"


	5. I accept your challenge!

**5**

**I accept your challenge!**

"What's your name?" Kiyoshi asked the newcomer, in that gentle voice of his. "And please state your business."

"My name is Kirisaki Ayase, and I just told you my business boyfriend-san. I came here for revenge!"

Kiyoshi ignored the whole 'boyfriend' business. There were more urgent matters at hand. Everyone was getting a bit uneasy, with all that talk about revenge and whatnot. So Kiyoshi was trying to find a way to remedy the situation.

"Look, Kirisaki-san, I don't know what Fujisaki's sister did to you but—"

"There's really nothing to it," Kirisaki said, as she smiled, showing her shark-like teeth. "She humiliated me back then, in front of my friends and everything. I hate leaving things unsettled so I've always dreamed of humiliating her in return. However, due to some circumstances, I can't really do that now. I mean, she's dead now, right?"

Kirisaki said that so casually, without any hint of remorse, and Tamaki didn't like it one bit.

"Now, listen here you punk. You come here uninvited, and unwanted, and then you have the nerve to talk about Rei-chan's sister like that? You deserve a beating, you hear me?"

Tamaki was about to rush Kirisaki, but Kotobuki had the foresight to restrain the hot-headed girl before she could assault Kirisaki.

"Relax, Tamaki, let's settle this peacefully okay?" Kotobuki pleaded, as she struggled to restrain Tamaki.

"Fine. Then let's settle this on the court." Tamaki said, as she rolled up her sweater sleeves. "I'll take you on!"

Kiyoshi noticed that Kirasaki got all pumped up from Tamaki's challenge. The shark-like girl laughed, and it was a high pitched, demonic laugh. "Fine. I'll take out my frustrations on you first."

Riko ran up to Kiyoshi and she grabbed his shirt collar, giving him a little tug. "Hey, you're Tamaki's coach, right? Tell her to stop this!"

"What's the harm?" Kiyoshi said, nonchalant as usual. "I mean, this is the perfect opportunity to properly gauge Tamaki's skills. And that newcomer looks mighty promising too."

"Are you telling me that you're willing to recruit that monster?!"

"Hey, I need at least two more players on the starting line-up, and I'm not even talking about the bench, and the support—"

"Fine, Fine, I get it." Riko released Kiyoshi from her grip. "It's your team anyways, I can't tell you what to do."

"That's right," Kiyoshi thought, "this is my team. I make the shots." Confidence filled Kiyoshi's very being. He was slowly finding his purpose again. It was exhilarating for him. And his heart wouldn't stop beating as he watched Tamaki and Kirisaki faced off. Kiyoshi felt as if _he _was the one playing. It was almost as if he was merging with Tamaki's consciousness. It was a weird thought, but Kiyoshi really felt like that, as if he and his players were one.

"Up to three," Kirisaki said, "three pointers are worth two, and anything else is worth one. Oh, and it's possession, so whoever scores keeps the ball."

"Yeah, yeah, just get on with it will ya?"

"You're so rude. You don't have a girlfriend do you? You're a virgin right?"

Tamaki suddenly flushed red. "Who are you calling a virgin?!"

Kirisaki took advantage of the distraction to speed past Tamaki. It was fast, lightning fast, and everyone in the gym was amazed.

"That's some Aomine level speed there," Kagami observed.

"Almost but not quite. She takes too many steps." Kuroko said.

"Still though, that's impressive enough as it is."

Kiyoshi didn't hear the freshmen duo speculating Kirisaki's speed, but his thoughts were in the same realm. Natural speed—lacking technique—Kirisaki was like Tamaki in that regard. It seemed that they were both equal in the physicality aspects.

However, Kiyoshi would soon learn that Kirisaki didn't lack technique at all.

He was amazed as he saw Kirisaki's dribble skills. She was completely toying with Tamaki. Kirisaki hesitated left and then she crossed to the right. Kiyoshi noticed Kirisaki's long arms and slender fingers and she used those weapons to create wide crossovers. That move was virtually impossible when Kirisaki used it.

"Those arms—"Riko mused. She was having the same thoughts.

"Yeah, I know. I've never seen a wingspan like that on a girl." Kiyoshi said.

"I want to undress her," she said.

"What?!"

"To give her a body scan. Geez. You're such a pervert."

Kiyoshi ignored Riko as he turned his attention back to the match. Kirisaki scored with a three point shot. "So she has a three point game as well. That's scary," he thought. The score was two to zero in Kirisaki's favour.

Tamaki was absolutely infuriated. "I'll stop you for sure this time around!"

Kirisaki didn't say anything as she dribbled the ball through the space between Tamaki's legs.

"Why you—that's cheating!"

Kirisaki was already a couple of feet away from the net, but Tamaki wouldn't have any of it.

"Take this!"

Everyone was amazed with Tamaki's agility as she easily caught up with Kirisaki, who was already in the air for a layup. Tamaki roared as she took a leap, and her jump was reminiscent to that of Kagami's super jumps. Kirisaki didn't even see it coming, as Tamaki swatted the ball away. The ball rolled off to the side when Tamaki landed, and without wasting any movements, she chased after the ball with frightening speed. After she retrieved the ball, she made a sharp drive to the basket. Kirasaki was still under the rim, in a daze, when Tamaki jumped up for a—Kiyoshi couldn't believe it, she was going for a dunk!

With a mighty roar, Tamaki slammed the ball hard to the rim, as she completely pulverized Kirisaki's smaller body. Kirisaki was thrown back, but she didn't seem to be hurt. Still, being dunked on like that must've really hurt her pride.

The gym erupted in cheers. "We all witnessed the birth of the Air Queen, the Air Queen I tell you!" Izuki said, as he cheered for Tamaki.

"I can do better," Kagami muttered.

"Do I smell sour grapes?" Kuroko asked.

"Shut it."

Everyone waited for Kirisaki's reaction. They expected her to be fuming, but she just stood up, and she ran up to the free throw line as she settled into her defensive stance. Then she beckoned over to Tamaki who was still celebrating her dunk. "Come on, you Air Monkey, we haven't got all day."

"Why you—who are you calling a monkey?! I just dunked on you, you know?"

"Yes, now please allow me to exact revenge."

A chill went up Kiyoshi's spine, as Kirisaki's mood changed completely. She was menacing before but right then and there—she just seemed evil.

Tamaki didn't notice this as she began her scoring attempt. Tamaki did a couple of jab steps and then she dribbled to the right, but Kirisaki somehow expected this as she snatched the ball from Tamaki.

Kiyoshi noticed the steal. "Don't tell me—is this the same as Fujisaki's ability, anticipatory defense?"

Riko shook her head. "No. I think this is something else, something completely opposite to the calculating powers of anticipatory defense. Yes, that must be it. It's animal instinct."

"Seriously? Like Kagami, and Aomine?" Kiyoshi began sweating. "So she's an animal huh—don't tell me—is she actually a shark?!"

Kiyoshi got a chop to the head for his lame jokes. "Don't be foolish."

"Yes, ma'am."

They returned their attention to the game. Kirisaki still had the ball, and she had this dangerous sneer as she dribbled the ball between her legs. Then she drove right, Tamaki followed, but then Kirisaki countered with a behind the back dribble to the left. Tamaki chased after her, but Kirisaki noticed this as she performed a spin move back to the right side again. Tamaki's momentum made her fall to the ground. It was an ankle breaker!

With no one guarding her, Kirisaki took the easy drive for the wide open layup.

Tamaki was still on the ground, so Kotobuki and Rei ran up to check up on her.

"Hey," Kotobuki asked, "are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"My ankle," Tamaki responded, "it hurts. I think I twisted it a little."

Fujisaki called for help and Kiyoshi ran up with medical supplies. He knelt beside Tamaki as he inspected her ankle. "Ugh! Senpai, that hurts!" Tamaki exclaimed. "Don't touch me there—"

"It's okay," he reassured her, "I'll be gentle."

For some reason, the two other girls watching were all blushing, but Kiyoshi didn't know why. "Can you two girls please get Riko here? I need some help with this."

"Yes!" Then they ran off to retrieve Riko.

KIrisaki was watching all of this with amusement. "That's what you get, Air Monkey. I won't forgive anybody he sees me in my moment of weakness."

"She's a sociopath." Kiyoshi thought, as he glared at Kirisaki. "I mean, it's a possibility."

Riko had Tamaki escorted out. Some of the boys helped her up as they walked her to the infirmary where she could receive further treatment. Tamaki seemed shocked by everything but she was otherwise fine. It was only a little twist, it wasn't a fracture or a sprain, so they didn't expect any permanent damage.

Meanwhile, Kiyoshi was about to confront Kirisaki but Fujisaki beat him to it. Before he could stop her, she was already face to face with Kirisaki. The atmosphere was intense.

Kirisaki smirked. "What, came to avenge your friend?"

Fujisaki was always full of surprises, and she didn't fail to surprise in that moment. She took a step back as she gave Kirisaki a deep bow. "Will you please consider joining our team?"

Kiyoshi was in shock. Kirisaki just injured one of Fujisaki's friends, and there she was bowing to her like it was nothing? He couldn't believe it!

"W-What are you doing?" Kirisaki was also shocked about the sudden turn of events.

"I—I can't forgive you yet for what you did to Tamaki-san, but we are in need of a player like you. So please, consider joining us."

Kirisaki started laughing, and that made the normally easygoing Kiyoshi livid. He couldn't take it anymore and he wanted to intervene. Fujisaki, however, had different plans. She gave Kiyoshi a pleading look, begging him to let her handle the situation. It was tough for Kiyoshi, but he decided to trust her. Still, he was ready to intervene at any time.

"Okay, let's say that I don't hate your guts, let's pretend that's the case. Even _if _I don't despise you, there's also the fact that I don't like organized sports. It's so corny, with the fans, and all that teamwork crap. It's not my thing. I'm more of a street ball kind of gal, if you want to know the truth."

"Streetball," Kiyoshi thought, "so that explains her godly dribble moves." She really was like Aomine in that regard, except her moves were more structured and orthodox compared to Aomine.

Despite Kirisaki's harsh words, Fujisaki still refused to give up. "Kirisaki-san, I remember you. I was there when you played against my sister. She didn't mean to embarrass you or anything, you have to understand. That was her nature." Kiyoshi could tell that it was tough for Fujisaki to talk about her sister, but she soldiered on. "She believed in playing all out against any opponent, and she—"

"So what? I don't care. I don't care if it was on purpose or not. The point is, she humiliated me, and she saw me in such a pitiful state. No, my pride won't allow it. I have to settle things."

Fujisaki was filled with determination. "Then let's settle things right here.

Kirisaki seemed to like that. "Yes! That's a great idea, let's—"

"Wait, let's raise the stakes a little." Fujisaki said.

Kiyoshi was concerned, but he chose to stay quiet. Fujisaki was on a roll, and it was rare to see her so self-assured.

Kirisaki-on the other hand-was more interested in Fujisaki's proposition rather than the shy girl's sudden bout of confidence. "Well, I'm listening. What do you have in mind?"

"It's simple. If I win then you join the team."

Kirisaki tensed a little. "What's in it for me?"

"You decide."

"Oh boy this is the perfect way to return the humiliation!" Kirisaki was giddy with joy. "Okay, if I win—then you have to practice naked!"

"Ehhhhh?!" The boys chorused out. Their libidos were going out of control. Even the silent Kuroko seemed interested.

Kiyoshi yelled at them, "Hey! You lot! Run three laps to expel the lust out of your system. NOW!"

They obeyed without hesitation as they sprinted around the gym, trying to get rid of the image of a naked Fujisaki out of their heads.

"I might need to run some laps too," Kiyoshi thought, and he would have, but his knee was busted and all.

Meanwhile, Fujisaki's new found determination was completely gone. She reverted back to her stuttering self. "N-N-Naked?"

"That's right," said Kirisaki, who had been laughing the entire time. "Now are you still—"

"Yes!"

"Say what?!" Kirisaki couldn't believe it. Kiyoshi couldn't believe it. The boys running laps _wanted _to believe it.

It seemed that Fujisaki still had a tiny bit of determination left. She faced Kirisaki head on and she announced, "I—I accept your challenge!"

The whole gym was in an uproar. Kiyoshi didn't even know what to do at that point.


	6. Loopholes!

**6**

**Loopholes?!**

"Okay, since you challenged me—and not the other way around—I get to make the rules," Kirisaki said, as she sneered at the trembling Fujisaki.

"That's fine with me," Fujisaki replied.

"All right then, let's get this thing started!"

Kiyoshi listened on as Kirisaki explained the rules. It was possession with a five minute time limit. Whoever had the most points by the allotted time wins. Simple enough, but Kiyoshi couldn't help but suspect Kirisaki. She has a plan, he thought, Fujisaki should watch out for any dirty tricks.

Kirisaki had the first ball. She made a couple of easy between the leg dribbles to test the waters. Kirisaki was trying to find a hole in Fujisaki's defence which was near impossible. Kirisaki noticed, however, that Fujisaki was backing up a little—probably expecting a drive. Kirisaki had open space to shoot a jumper.

"The first point is mine!" Kirisaki declared, as she pulled up for a shot. Fujisaki, however, expected this. In fact, it was all part of the plan. A huge part of Fujisaki's defensive prowess was her ability to shut out all of an opponent's scoring options except for one. That single action would then be blatantly obvious and it would be easy for Fujisaki to stop it. Fujisaki didn't just stop the offensive attack like a normal defender would, she actually _controlled_ the opposing player's offensive attack, like a stop light directing traffic. Kiyoshi was impressed with Fujisaki's ability, he really was. She was a freshman but she had the skills of a veteran.

Fujisaki made the easy block. Kirisaki couldn't believe it. While Kirisaki was still shocked, Fujisaki took advantage of the situation as she recovered the ball and drove it in for a layup. Fujisaki had the one point lead.

The boys were conflicted. Yes they wanted Fujisaki to win but the alternative didn't sound _too_ bad. The possibility of seeing a girl naked really messed up their priorities. Kiyoshi considered berating them but he didn't see the point in it. He'd just be wasting his time. Besides, he was way too focused on the match to think about such silly things.

Fujisaki had possession but she couldn't make the shot over Kirisaki, the latter used her long arms to contest Fujisaki's shot. It wasn't a block, but she got Fujisaki to miss. Kirisaki got the rebound as she made her way back to the three point line to clear it. Once that technicality was dealt with, Kirisaki drove to the right—only to be cut off by a speeding Fujisaki who somehow recovered just in time. Kirisaki got impatient as she spun to the left. Her moves were easy to read since she was so agitated. It was only a matter of time before Fujisaki got the steal.

"This is intense," Riko said. "It's like I'm watching two rival sumo wrestlers go at each other."

"Can't you come up with anything better?" Kiyoshi said, trying not to sound rude. "I mean, that imagery doesn't really fit the situation."

Riko was about to explain the correlation between two girls playing basketball and two overweight sumo wrestlers bumping into each other, but they were both distracted by an astonishing development in the one-on-one game.

Fujisaki was initially matching Kirisaki's movements, always one step ahead and predicting the opponent's movements, but Kirisaki merely ran faster until Fujisaki couldn't keep up. Kirisaki used her advantage in speed and stamina in order to lose Fujisaki. Anticipatory defense could predict an opponent's next course of action, but it couldn't match an opponent in terms of raw speed. It was like how Kagami could shut down Himuro's mirage shot with pure jump power alone. In the end, raw talent simply rises above technique. Fujisaki knew this perfectly well, but she still didn't give up on the play. She never gave up.

Kirisaki pulled up for an open jumper—or at least she was open—until Fujisaki came to contest the shot. Kirisaki barely got the shot to go in. It could have been blocked if Fujisaki was a millisecond faster.

"Not bad," Kirisaki said. "I'm still going to win though."

Fujisaki bent over to tighten her shoelaces. Then with a determined look, she stared right into Kirisaki's eyes and said, "It's still a tie."

"Not for long."

It was a heated back and forth after that. There was a minute left in the clock and the game was stuck in yet another tie. There were a total of seven lead changes that game.

Kirisaki found it impossible to get past Fujisaki so she had to settle for low quality jump shots and long range scoring attempts. She made a couple of shots in, but Fujisaki took advantage of the missed shots to create her own scoring opportunities. Kirisaki was breathing heavily by then, the sweat apparent in her brow. Kiyoshi noticed though, that Fujisaki was in the same state. The last minute was already ticking down and Kirisaki had possession.

Kirisaki drove to the left—but she changed directions as she crossed behind-the-back to the right. Kiyoshi speculated that Fujisaki already expected this move since Kirisaki had a tendency to use that move every time she drove left. Kiyoshi also noticed that Kirisaki rarely actually shot from the left side, often choosing to cross over to the right side. It was a bad habit most players subconsciously develop, especially street ballers who don't have a coach to instruct them. Kirisaki had massive potential but she seriously lacked basic fundamentals. Even Kagami started out with better fundamentals than her, since Kagami played for an American middle school.

Fujisaki was shutting her down, but Kirisaki was oddly composed, which was strange since she had been so agitated earlier every time she was stopped defensively. This time, however, Kirisaki was all smiles as she leaped up for a shot. Fujisaki went up for the shot as well. Everything was going as expected—until Kiyoshi noticed one slight movement, a motion so subtle he bet none of the others saw it. It was almost like Kiyoshi's right of postponement, but not quite. Kirisaki used her long slender fingers to palm the ball in mid-air, and then she swept it right against Fujisaki's arms. She was trying to draw a foul.

The two girls collided. With a little bit of acting, Kirisaki allowed herself to fall to the ground as she screamed in pain. Fujisaki landed properly and it made it seem like _she_ was the one at fault. He knew Kirisaki was planning something dirty.

Everyone seemed to fall for it as they all approached Kirisaki out of concern.

"I-I'm really sorry," Fujisaki said, as she bowed like there was no tomorrow.

Kirisaki, that dirty trickster, acted like a saint. She said, "You don't have to apologize. It's all part of the game."

"Damn, that was a nasty fall," Hyuga said. "We should give her a free-throw attempt for that."

Fujisaki was more than happy to agree. "Yes! It's only fair…"

Kirisaki thanked them as she hobbled over to the free throw line. Kiyoshi didn't even bother to point out her dirty little trick. It was, as Kirisaki said, a part of the game. Drawing a penalty was a viable strategy, even in the pro leagues. In fact, there were certain professional players who made a name for themselves by drawing penalties just like Kirisaki did. So he chose to keep his observations to himself. Kiyoshi noticed, however, that he wasn't the only one who noticed Kirisaki's little act. The ever calculating Kuroko also noticed the ruse, it seemed, but the phantom sixth man chose to stay quiet as well-probably for the same reasons.

Kiyoshi looked at the time. It was already near the time limit. Kirisaki was really wasting time with her free throw attempt. He noticed how she kept glancing at the clock as well. Finally, after she made the shots, the buzzer sounded indicating the end of the game. The gym went deathly silent. It seemed that almost everybody forgot about the time limit. Kirisaki, however, was all too aware.

"I won!" she jutted a finger at Fujisaki's disbelieving face. "Now, I hope you didn't forget our little wager…muhahahaha!"

Fujisaki collapsed on the ground. Kotobuki immediately ran over to comfort the girl. The boys, on the other hand, ran over for a completely different reason. They all grinned as they watched Fujisaki expectantly. Kiyoshi couldn't help but picture a pack of ravening wolves drooling at the sight of an innocent, cute, little lamb.

Riko looked somewhat disappointed. "I can't believe it. Why are they getting so excited? They never paid attention to _me_ whenever I offered to do something sexy to encourage them during games. What does she have that I don't?" Kiyoshi also noticed that Riko was primarily glaring at a certain glass wearing captain who had a string of drool hanging down his mouth.

Kiyoshi patted Riko on the head. "I'll tell you what you're lacking. For starters, keep in mind that Fujisaki has a 10/10 Special Ability stat."

Riko was confused. "Yeah, I know. I scanned her after all. And how is that related to anything?"

Kiyoshi told her, with a serious look in his eyes, "It could be argued that 'moe' is a special ability."

Needless to say, Kiyoshi got a chop on the head for his careless remarks.

In the meantime, everyone was still waiting for Fujisaki to make a move. The shy girl was practically shaking in Kotobuki's arms until her face lit up. It seemed like she came up with a brilliant idea.

"Kirisaki-san, I have a question," Fujisaki said, with serious intent.

"What is it? Are you going to beg for mercy?"

Fujisaki shook her head. "No. I made several discoveries about the 'wager' between us."

"And what would these 'discoveries' be?"

Fujisaki suddenly stood up, releasing herself from Kotobuki's grasp. "I have discovered some loopholes!"

"Loopholes?!" everyone exclaimed.

Fujisaki explained her findings like an ace attorney. "First of all, the wording plays a crucial part when two individuals are making a deal. I believe, Kirisaki-san, that in conceiving our wager you said something along the lines of: 'if you lose then you—meaning me—will have to practice naked'. Am I correct in saying this?"

Kirisaki merely nodded.

"Then that brings me to the truth, the one and only truth!" Now she went from attorney to detective. "You didn't specify _what _activity I should be practicing, nor did you explain _where _I have to practice while in the nude, and you didn't even specify _when _so for all I know you could be telling me to do it next year—or maybe even in the next twenty years!"

"That's bullshit," Kirisaki said. She wasn't smiling anymore.

"No it's not. It's the unwritten rules of the waging bets. However, to honour our agreement, I will assume you meant that the wager should occur sometime near the present."

Kirisaki nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, now do it!"

Fujisaki flashed a victory pose. "Alright. So I'm assuming that you're giving me free reign to choose the 'what' and the 'where' aspect of the deal, as it's not otherwise specified what those things are?"

"No! That's not what I—"

With a dramatic flourish of her arms, Fujisaki announced, "Since you didn't specify the type of practice then I will pick singing and for the 'where' I choose the showers!"

Kirisaki put two and two together. "Wait, so you're going to be—PRACTICING YOUR SINGING IN THE SHOWER?!"

"Yes! And of course I will be naked in the shower. So now you can't say that I'm breaking the agreement, am I right, Kirisaki-san?"

Nobody expected the normally quiet, shy Fujisaki to be such a manipulative and cunning character. Kotobuki sighed. "Oh Rei-chan. Your personality really flips when your mystery novel otaku side comes out."

Kuroko seemed interested. "Mystery novels you say?"

Kagami sighed. "Oh yeah, you like that sorta stuff too don't you Kuroko?"

"Yes. They are interesting."

Meanwhile, Kirisaki just stared at Fujisaki for the longest time. Eventually she sighed, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You know what," she said, "this really isn't worth the fight. Go shower naked or with clothes on—I don't give a crap. I'm outta here."

A huge sigh of relief echoed throughout the gym as Kirisaki made her way out. No one could celebrate yet though, since Fujisaki ran up to Kirisaki and took a hold the other girl's hand. Everyone was telling her to let the dangerous shark girl leave, but Fujisaki ignored their agonized cries.

"W-What do you want from me you magnet girl?" Kirisaki snapped.

Magnet girl? Kiyoshi laughed. It did seem to fit Fujisaki, seeing as how she always stuck to her opponent during matches, and how she was latching on to Kirisaki at that moment.

"Let's play again Kirisaki-san! Same rules same stakes!"

"Eh?!" Everyone chorused.

Kirisaki's eyes were twitching. "Y-You must be joking."

Fujisaki bowed down yet again. "I'm serious! I really want you to join our team."

Kirisaki looked at the bowing girl. Then she looked at everyone else who were just as confused as her. Then she scratched her head in irritation as she pulled Fujisaki up by the shoulders until they were making eye contact.

"Fine, I'll join your stupid team, but it's not like I want to! I-I just don't want you bothering me that's all! And besides I already achieved my goal for the day. Consider yourself humiliated."

Fujisaki was all smiles. "Great! Thank you Kirisaki-san. I knew you were a good person!"

It could have been Kiyoshi's imagination, but he could have sworn he saw Kirisaki's cheeks turn a light shade of pink. "S-Shut up! God, how can you say something so embarrassing? You magnet girl!"

Meanwhile, Kiyoshi checked his evergrowing player roster. Kotobuki Mai…Tamaki Izumi…Fujisaki Rei…and then he looked at an empty spot on his roster.

He turned to his former coach, "Hey Riko, you got a pen?"


End file.
